The British Open will finish on a Monday for just the second time in its history, organisers said Saturday. The tournament has been hit by hours of weather delays, making it impossible to conclude the tournament as scheduled on Sunday. We should never have started Jordan Spieth "The intention is to complete the second round today [Saturday] with round three to be played on Sunday and the final round to be played on Monday," the R&A said in a statement. The only other time there has been a Monday finish was in 1988 when Seve Ballesteros won the last of his three crowns at Royal Lytham. It was a momentous decision by golf's ruling body, which has organised the Open Championship since 1860, but it became increasingly inevitable as the day wore on. The remnants of second-round action had got under way early in the morning, but officials soon called another halt to proceedings as the wind picked up. More than three hours of play was lost at the start of Friday's action when a rain-storm deluged the Old Course, and 42 players were unable to complete their rounds by the time darkness fell. The wet weather had passed through by Saturday morning and play got under way on schedule at 7am, but it soon became apparent that on the more exposed parts of the course, balls were moving about. Officials called a halt at 7.32am. The forecast was for the wind to be sustained during the morning but easing in the afternoon. It had already been announced that once the cut is made, play will be in three-ball groupings for the third round in an effort to get the tournament back on schedule. "We spent an hour at the far end of the course, before play started, assessing whether the course was playable," a statement from the R&A said. "Balls were not moving on the greens and while the conditions were extremely difficult, we considered the course to be playable. "Gusts of wind increased in speed by 10-15 per cent after play resumed. This could not be foreseen at the time that play was restarted and made a material difference to the playability of the golf course." Subsequent announcements at 10am and an hour later reported that there had been "no reduction in the strength of the wind". Balls were not moving on the greens and while the conditions were extremely difficult, we considered the course to be playable R&A statement It was then announced that, going by forecasts, no play would be possible until at least 6pm UK time, sparking the Monday finish announcement. In the time that play was possible, Dustin Johnson fluffed a chip to the 15th green and dropped a shot to slip to nine-under. Playing partner Jordan Spieth stayed at five-under as he continued his quest for a third straight major. "We should never have started," Spieth was heard muttering as he was informed of the decision by a R&A official.
